To Be Driven by Hope
by Ancencz the Storyteller
Summary: One must sometimes experience absolute hopelessness before becoming the Beacon of Hope. Join Jinsoo as he goes from being a labor camp slave in North Korea to being the 1st Human Blue Lantern. How will he interact with the founding members of the Team, and how will his past affect the future? OC-centric, A/U-ish. Starts from the end of Season 1, Ep 3


A/N:

Welcome to a new fanfiction entry to the Young Justice universe: _To Be Driven by Hope_. I'll put a more "in-depth" note on the bottom, but for now, please enjoy this pilot chapter and remember:

Keep an open mind and read to the end!

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~~~~Chapter 1: The Beginning~~~~

The sounds of pain, abuse, and torture is something that one should never get used to. Unfortunately, it was commonplace if you were one of the many slaves that worked in North Korea's Labor Camps. Not much is known about the country, as North Korea has closed off all it's borders a long time ago, but the laws in the country were simple. Obey the government or suffer. It was a simple rule, but a rule that you followed as if your life depended on it. Unlike most legal systems where the accused is the only one punished, North Korea had a habit of arresting the accused _and_ their entire extended family.

I was one of the many children that were born into a family already incarcerated for their supposed crimes. I don't remember the early years, but there were things that you just don't forget. You eat only when fed, don't complain, stay invisible, and do not anger _any_ of the military officials.

The earliest thing I can remember was when I was 5, when I was pulled from my bed and thrown into a truck full of other kids my age. I remembered the ride being long and uncomfortable, but it eventually stopped when it stopped in front of a large building. We were quickly ordered off the vehicle and herded into one of the building's many rooms.

It was in this room that we were told the following:

"Pass all your classes, you'll see your family again. Fail, and you'll never see them again."

And that's how my life as a Cadet of Pyongyang's Military Academy began. The first few years were the hardest, as we had to learn how to read, write, math, and history. On top of this, all members of the Academy participated in mandatory physical training regardless of age.

It only took several months for half the class to fail out. Some of them came from the worse managed labor camps, so their bodies were already broken before coming to the academy. The other cadets couldn't adjust to their new situation quick enough, and had fallen behind in their studies. And some of the dropouts passed on due to malnutrition and poor health.

I would've been one of those that died of sickness, if it wasn't for _her._

She was the medical officer of our unit, and unlike the other officers, she was gentle with us. She would be the only one that would greet us with kind words and a smile, and always handled us with care during our medical examinations. She also did something that was very uncharacteristic of any other military officer: she gave us words of encouragement. We were kids in a near-impossible situation, but it was this medical officer that got us to smile on the rare occasion.

I was sick with some sort of cold or fever, and I feared for my life. Normally, sick individuals would be transferred to the medical ward where they would have 1 week to recover. That'd be okay if the sick cadet was provided with medication, but the cadet was expected to recover on just 2 meager meals a day and bed rest. If the cadet didn't recover in a week's time, they would be removed from the program.

As I walked into the medical examination room, I was mentally praying to something, _someone_. There had to be something out there that would listen to my pleas and send some sort of hope or help. I was surprised when my thoughts were answered in the form of pills handed to me. The medical officer winked at me and directed me to swallow the pills, then sent me on my way. I recovered in 2 days, thanks to her.

Something changed within me after I recovered. In my short 5 ½ years of life, all I've known was the unforgiving Labor Camp Wardens, the soreness of muscles, and the pains from empty stomachs. I never smiled and often times wished that I would disappear from there forever. This medical officer showed me that life isn't filled with negative emotions and cold-hearted people.

She gave me hope. Hope that one day, we could get out of this hell.

6 years passed since then. Our curriculum and physical training also intensified and included training in espionage, firearms, military tactics, and demolitions. By this time, less then a third of the original class had survived the grueling 6 years. Many kids either quit, failed on purpose, or committed some form of suicide in their rooms due to the intense stresses put on them. Despite feeling the same stress though, I've always tried to do anything possible to help a fellow cadet push forward and not fall into depression.

I was assigned to night-time patrols, as part of my espionage and military tactics courses. I was to record any anomalies and report any possible deficiencies to the supervisor after every patrol. It was during one of these patrols that I let my mind wonder back to my parents and family back at the labor camps.

To be completely honest, I've forgotten how they looked or sounded like. Still, I had hope that I would pass my courses and see them someday. I was thinking of what would happen when I would graduate. Would I be able to free my family from the labor camps as a military official? Would the government allow their charges to be dropped for the graduation ceremony? The questions and the following imagery made me hopeful.

 _It wouldn't be just me...it'd be all of us, the entire Cadet Class and their families...together_.

As the thought passed my mind, one of the stars in the sky glowed a bright blue. Not only was it glowing brighter by the minute, but it seemed to get larger too. I would've panicked and radioed in my observation, if it wasn't for the fact that I was feeling at peace. So, I stood there relaxed as the blue glow approached me. When it was close enough, I realized that the glow came from a blue ring-like object. When I opened up my hand, the ring gently floated to my palm.

~~~~Meanwhile, at Odym~~~~

"...Brother Walker, Brother Warth, it seems that a Blue Power Ring has found it's potential wielder. Please go to these coordinates and escort him here, to Odym."

"It will be done, Ganthet."

~~~~Planet Earth~~~~

By the time I turned 13, only 16 Cadets remained within the program. Most of these students were the ruthless ones, who would have no problems breaking your bones during training or planting false evidence in your living quarters to be the man on top. It was a dog-eat-dog world at the Academy now, but I was lucky to have found a friend in the class. I was even more fortunate, as he was also my bunk-mate.

"How are your studies going, comrade Heesun?" I asked my roommate.

"It's going well, comrade Jinsoo. Your studies going well?" He asked me. When I told him it was going well, he gave a long sigh. "The Rifle Proficiency Exam is tomorrow...I don't feel ready..."

"You're one of the best riflemen of the class, comrade Heesun...no need to worry!" I responded to his worried tone with my cheery one. "Have a little faith in yourself! I should be the one that's worried for the exam tomorrow!"

"Maybe...but you're literally the top of our class on _everything_! Hell, you're good at countering the espionage attempts done to us. And we didn't even cover counter-intelligence yet!" Heesun exclaimed. "How do you do it?"

I was silent at this question. Heesun, like me, came from a family that were already working in a concentration camp. He was next to me when our class were reminded time and time again, that our family's fate were in our hands. Sighing, I calmed my mind a bit before answering his question.

"I have hope, Heesun. Hope of seeing my family again someday..." I trailed off. I absentmindedly put my hand into my pocket, where the solid blue ring rested. "It's also good that I have a little good-luck charm."

"A good luck charm? I wish I had one...it seems to bring you good fortune so far," Heesun commented. "Hope it continues to do so..."

~~~~The Next Day~~~~

Today was the day of the Rifle Proficiency Exam. It was like any other examination; all cadets were to line up in formation, split into their exam groups, and do as ordered. My group consisted of Heesun, myself, and 2 other individuals.

"Today's the day, huh..." I mumbled to myself as my exam group walked towards the shooting range. I whispered to Heesun, "Good luck, comrade Heesun. You'll be fine!"

The exam wasn't too difficult: hit a target 50 yards away with the standard-issue AK-47. I hit my mark and so did the other 2, but unfortunately for Heesun...

"Cadet Heesun, report to room Delta 4," came the cold voice of our examiner.

"...Right away, Examiner," Heesun responded robotically . He didn't even glance in my general direction as he slowly trudged towards the academic building. I couldn't blame him though; everyone knew what it meant to walk into room Delta 4.

Once you walked in, you're never seen again.

Heesun was my bunk-mate this past year, and was the only one that I could hold a meaningful conversation with. He wasn't as paranoid as the other bunk-mates I had, and was open to pleasant conversations. I was upset at the turn of events, but I also knew that I was powerless to stop it. I wished that he would be offered a 2nd chance, though that never happened at the Academy.

One could hope, right?

It was in the middle of lunch hours when the cafeteria's PA System crackled to life.

"Cadet Jinsoo, report to room Delta 1," the voice spoke. I sighed as I quickly drank the last of my water and wiped my lips with the paper towel. I quickly put the food tray away and proceeded to room Delta 1. I put my hand in one of the pockets and made sure the blue ring I found 2 years ago was still there. It was a nervous habit I developed over the past 2 years.

 _Here's for good luck_ , I told myself as I approached the doors to room Delta 1.

~~~~Room Delta 1~~~~

"Cadet Jinsoo, reporting for duty," I saluted.

"At ease Cadet. Sit down...we have much to discuss," the supervisor waved his hand to the chair across from him. When I took my seat, he spoke again. "Your marks are, as usual, in the highest percentile."

"I appreciate your praise greatly, supervisor," I responded.

"Maybe you can recollect some of the foreign-related lessons then, cadet," the supervisor continued. "Do you remember the lesson pertaining to American Propaganda, specifically this 'Justice League?'"

"Yes, Supervisor. The Americans fabricated a story about human beings with fictional power that attacks all other governments, and is a danger to the great nation of North Korea," I recollected my lesson. "The supposed founding members have the code names: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Flash.'"

I fidgeted uncomfortably after I recited those code-names, which didn't go unnoticed by my supervisor. For some reason though, seeing me fidget gave him a reason to smirk.

"Well, here's the truth: it's not propaganda. Those super-humans are real, and Cadet Heesun tells me that you possess an item that is somewhat similar to the Green Lantern," the supervisor's voice rose as he spoke. The doors busted open with armed guards and surrounded me with weapons drawn. "For your sake, Cadet Heesun better be lying...otherwise, you will die, right here."

Everything happened so fast, yet it took an eternity for the moment to pass. As the soldiers came rushing in, my left hand went into my pants pocket and retrieved the ring. As I placed the ring on my right middle finger, something ripped the roof apart. Everyone in the room dived to the ground with their heads covered with their hands, and it wasn't until I felt sunlight that I dared to look up.

Two figures. One of them looked like an elephant, and the other looked somewhat similar to a human, but it's face was definitely not. What made me even more shocked was that they were surrounded by the same blue glow that I witnessed 2 years ago, when I got my blue ring. Which, I happen to be surrounded by as well.

"Brother...I'd like to talk to you about what you have, but maybe someplace more calm?" One of the figures asked me. Before the supervisor or the soldiers could recover, I nodded my head.

~~~~Time Skip, 1 Year [3rd Person]~~~~

Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy just returned from an impromptu mission, investigating a disturbance at Happy Harbor. It seemed to start off as a "keep the kids busy" kind of mission, but turned into an intense battle with Mr. Twister, an android with similar powers to Red Tornado. All in all, the mission eased the restlessness that the Team felt, and were in a happy mood when they walked towards the Mission Room of the Cave. To their slight surprise, though, they were joined by Batman, Black Canary, both Green Lanterns, and 3 individuals that wore similar clothes to the Green Lanterns, but blue.

"Batman? Both Green Lanterns? Black Canary? What you guys doing here?" Kid Flash asked as he and the team moved the remains of Mr. Twister to the examination table. "And who're the 3 dudes in blue?"

"I'll let Lantern handle this," Batman spoke as he stepped back, allowing the Lanterns to step forward slightly.

"Hey Team. I'd like to introduce you two to Brother Saint Walker and Brother Warth, part of the Blue Lantern Corps," John Stewart spoke. "The Blue Lanterns are fairly new, and will be working with both the Green Lanterns and the Justice League."

"Greeting, young heroes of Earth. I am called Saint Walker. My companion is Brother Warth," Saint Walker and Warth both bowed respectfully. "Several years ago, one of our Power Rings found a human partner. We rescued the candidate from an unfavorable fate and trained him in our home planet of Odym, with friend Hal Jordan. Since his training is complete, we were hoping to find a home for him here, on his birth planet."

"Saint Walker here, along with some friends of mine from the Green Lantern Corps trained him. Should be a great addition to the Team," the other Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, added. He then waved the figure standing behind Walker and Warth. "Come on, introduce yourself."

The third Blue Lantern stepped forward from his original position behind Saint Walker and Warth. Unlike his other Lantern companions, he was not wearing the standard-issue uniform of a Lantern. Instead, he wore a pair of black shoes, slightly-loose black sweatpants, and a long-sleeve blue undershirt. His white, sleeveless hoodie was unique in that it had an additional, rectangular fabric on the left side, covering his left leg up to the mid-shin. The slightly-loose clothing were held together by a thick, blue sash. The team also noticed that the exposed right pant leg had the insignia of the Blue Lantern Corps, covering from mid-thigh to mid-shin.

Despite the slightly loose-fitting clothing, the teenage superheroes could tell the newcomer wasn't exactly a push over. Though not as built as Superboy, his bulk seemed to match Aqualad's. He wasn't the shortest out of the group either, standing between Kid Flash and Aqualad.

"Hello...I am Brother Jinsoo, the first Human Blue Lantern." Jinsoo spoke as he bowed. "I look forward to working with you all."

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A/N Continued:

Thank you for reading all of this pilot chapter! I must admit...love the DC Universe and the Green Lantern Lore especially! Been a big fan of Saint Walker and the Blue Lantern Corps, so I wanted to do something with them in a fanfiction for a long time now.

This is an O.C.-centric fic, with hints of established pairings and maybe even new pairings as well! Storyline will be strongly based on the animated Young Justice Series, but will also be taking some liberties for the same of my O.C.'s character development.

Hope you all enjoyed the 1st chapter! If you liked it, please be sure to leave a review and follow the story as well!


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